Almost exactly two years after the release of the Orba 2, Artiphon is finishing off the trilogy. The newly announced Orba 3 finds the Nashville-based startup baking live sampling into its clever handheld instrument. The feature arrives by way of a built-in microphone, which lets users record their voice, instruments, and other sounds.

That can all be done on-device, meaning there is no need for an external system to upload sounds onto the instrument, you just click on the big, red Sample button on the side, record a sound, and that's pretty much it.

It also has four modes to change between, in case its default function as a mini-filter did not suffice: bass, chord, drum, and lead; and applies several different properties to the sound. Genius touch to what was already an extremely fun little gadget.

As is the case with the former models, with this one you can use the Orba 3 as a MIDI controller in an external device via USB-C.

The Orba 2 will be discontinued but will stay on the market for $120. In 2021, the company released the Chorda, but TechCrunch describes the device as somewhat of a mashup between Orba and the company's first instrument, Instrument 1. While that might make it less attractive to fans of one or the other, it may appeal to someone who is considering both options. End.
"In Drum mode, each pad can hold a unique sample, while in Chord mode, samples are automatically tuned to fit musical chords," the company explains. "This is made possible by a sophisticated sound engine that automatically crops, tunes, and perfects the audio."